QUICKIES!
Gerry Dantone
Item: It was
reported in Elle Magazine that Paris Hilton explains what studying kaballah has done for
her: “It helps you confront your fears. Like, if a girl borrowed my clothes and
never gave them back, and I saw her wearing them months later, I would confront her.”
Comment:
Instead of kaballah, perhaps she was thinking of karate. In any event, this is too
deep for me.
Item: More than one-third of Iran's lawmakers resigned in protest in February 2004 over
disputed elections, and the parliamentary speaker charged ruling clerics with trampling on
the rights of his countrymen. Speaker Mahdi Karroubi appealed to Iran's supreme
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to help resolve the crisis caused by disqualification of
thousands of liberal candidates from the Feb. 20 vote. But Khamenei had left the
capital, Tehran, making it difficult to reach him, parliamentary officials said.
About 124 lawmakers in the 290-seat Majlis, or parliament, resigned in a dramatic gesture
intended to force the clerical hierarchy to reinstate the disqualified candidates.
"Are you loyal to Islam if you pray daily, but then trample on the rights of the
people?" asked Karroubi, himself a cleric. He accused the Guardian Council,
whose 12 members are appointed by Khamenei, of "disrespecting democratic values and
having no faith in a popular vote."
Comment:
Well here is the question: Is the Ayatollah's version of what is Islamic correct or is it
Mr. Karroubi's? If the leader of the Islamic community, the Ayatollah, is not
authoritative on what is Islamic, who or what is? This is similar to the situation
that Martin Luther faced many centuries ago, and though Luther did not answer it 100%
correctly, (or even remotely correctly!) his Reformation was vital in the humanization of
the Christian religion. Individual conscience in interpreting one's religion is a
step on the way of criticizing and ultimately rejecting religious belief. Mr.
Karroubi is probably unaware or in denial of the implications of his position, but his and
other Iranians' alternative is to accept authority without question. What will they
do? Hopefully they will choose an Islamic “Reformation” and then an
Islamic “Enlightenment.”
Item: (By Ann Coulter in Human Events) “… If I were a man rather than part of
the frivolous, nonproductive chattering class, Roy Moore is the man I'd like to be.
He lost his judgeship because he did what was right. He took an oath to uphold the
Constitution, not to uphold whatever blather a liberal judge manages to put on
paper. He followed the real law, not liberals' make-believe law. He put
principle above his personal interest or comfort. He was actually brave-and this is
the only newspaper in the country that will say so. The Ten Commandments monument
was removed, but this time, not without a fight.”
Comment:
Ms. Coulter has also written, “We should invade their countries, kill their leaders
and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and
punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we
killed civilians. That's war. And this is war…” Out of the Ten
Commandments that Ms. Coulter holds so dear, we can probably suspect that the unmarried
Coulter has managed to keep only a few of the Commandments, such as not coveting someone's
ox, although that is only because Democrats don't seem to be big on oxen. This is
her version of Christianity, and we should not be surprised her “man of the
year” is Judge Moore.
Item: (Sen. Cornyn, TX, in the Austin-American Statesman) We have drifted a long way from
the original vision of our Founding Fathers. The Constitution says that there shall
not be any law "respecting an establishment of religion." It also says
that there shall not be any law "prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Both principles deserve protection.
Under our Constitution, everyone is allowed to practice whatever religion they choose --
including no religion at all. Likewise, people should be free under our Constitution
to encourage religious expression through their public, democratic institutions.
For example, we open every daily session of Congress with a prayer. Every day,
courts throughout our land admit testimony on the basis of a commitment to tell the truth
"so help me God." Even our calendar system resonates with religious
significance -- our Constitution explicitly acknowledges that its drafting was completed
"in the Year of our Lord" 1787, and expressly recognizes Sunday as a day of
rest.
Comment:
Sen. Cornyn is clueless: How would he feel if the government decided that atheistic
expression should be encouraged, such as a Pledge that said “under NO
God…”? In other words, Sen. Cornyn is relying on the Constitution being
applied unfairly to support his majority views over the views of what should be the
constitutionally protected minority. What a shock!
Item: Queen of Pop Madonna sees herself as a teacher - because she now consciously imparts
knowledge on those around her. The singer, writer and icon has become a devoted
follower of the Kabbalah faith, a branch of Jewish mysticism - and is glad it has helped
her to help others. She explains, "If I taught people earlier in my career, it
was by default. I wasn't consciously thinking of sharing in any way. I was
just showing off. I felt full of myself. Now I'm a teacher." And
the Hollywood hit-maker rejects claims her on-stage smooches with Britney Spears and
Christina Aguilera at this year's (03) MTV VMA Awards were merely a publicity stunt.
She explains to website PAGESIX, "We were playing with lots of post-modern
iconography."
Comment:
Translation: “We were hoping that it would boost my sagging career!”
Item: (Ed Lowe, Newsday) On a weekly Telecare television panel show we now have been doing
for 13 years (although, this column may mark the end of my tenure), he said, "Ed,
what do you think about all this?"
On the show, I answered Hartman's question, probably a bit too passionately. The
show never made the air…
Incredibly, after Suffolk District Attorney Tom Spota's blistering grand jury report came
out, Hartman asked me, again, on camera, "What do you think about all this, Ed?"
I thought, "Are you nuts? You're going to ask me this question again on the
air?"
Anticipating moans from the control room, I answered, again, this time even more
passionately.
That show never aired, either.
Now that the scandal has reached into New Jersey, and now that the priests of Diocese of
Rockville Centre-including some good friends of mine-are going to meet next Monday with
their bishop, here, pretty accurately paraphrased, is how I answered, both times.
"Have you heard of the RICO Act? "Here's what you need for a successful
RICO prosecution: a recognizable, identifiable organization-There's a short putt: the
church-with a clearly identifiable hierarchy-another short putt-whose members, you can
show, conspired to commit felony crimes, either in their own interest or in the interest
of the corrupt organization.
"What do I think? I think that by now, your boss, Murphy, should be playing bridge in
a federal penitentiary with the other two disgraced princes of the Church, Cardinal
Bernard Law and Bishop Thomas Daily, and at least, at least, a dozen co-conspirator
priests, lawyers and priest/lawyers.
"And, if you don't want me to say what I think, don't ask."
Comment:
No comment needed.
Item: (AP) Waves of pilgrims were jostled or shoved their way through the crowds for
devil-stoning rituals in February 2004, a day after 244 people were crushed to death
during the same rites at the annual Muslim pilgrimage, the hajj.
"We are deeply saddened when we hear such news,'' said a Saudi pilgrim, Mohammed
el-Shahrani, "but all we can do is to pray to God to keep us safe. ''The
victims, he said, "are now martyrs, may God bless them.'' Muslims believe that
if a person dies while performing the hajj, he or she goes directly to heaven.
Sunday's tragedy was the worst disaster at the hajj since 1997, when 340 pilgrims died.
Comment:
Christianity glorifies suffering; Jews deny themselves all manner of things in deference
to their beliefs; and of course, Muslims believe it a blessing to die at a religious
ceremony. Is there any question that dogma inevitably places itself above the well
being of its practitioners?
Item: According to their newsletter, the Southern Poverty Law Center has been receiving
religious hate mail ever since their victory in the Judge Moore case in Alabama. For
example they've received notes saying: “Dees is a s.o.b. jew and deserves to burn in
hell”; “I hope all of you who had anything to do with removing the Ten
Commandments die in a car accident with a fuel tanker along with the rest of your filthy,
stinking, traitorous families,”; “We Christians are watching you now”; and
“May the wrath of God be delivered upon you.”
Comment:
It is understandable how persons who believe in “You shall have no other gods before
me” and not “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion,” would be upset.
Item: (NY Daily News, Hannity & Colmes) An American Airlines pilot terrified
passengers aboard a Los Angeles-to-New York flight when he asked Christians to identify
themselves and then called those who weren't Christian "crazy," witnesses and an
airline spokesman said yesterday.
Shortly after takeoff on Friday, the pilot asked people aboard Flight 34 to "raise
their hand if they were Christian," according to one passenger, Amanda Nelligan, of
Los Angeles, who spoke to CBS. He then told the passengers that "everyone who
doesn't have their hand raised is crazy," Nelligan said. Others were not as
sure who the pilot referred to as “crazy.” Another passenger who happened
to be a journalist, claimed on a TV show that he interviewed the pilot after the flight
and the pilot told him that after a pre-flight problem cleared up by itself the pilot
decided that it was a sign from God and that he should go ahead and proselytize to the
passengers.
Comment:
Who knew Tom DeLay had a second job?
Item: (American Legion Magazine) Joseph E. Caouette, chairman of The American Legion
Americanism Commission, believes attacks against the Boy Scouts are battles in a larger
war - a war against American values.
Caouette says, “(The Scouts) are a force for good, morality, a belief in God or a
supreme being. But because of this, opponents call them a “discriminatory”
organization… There are those that are trying to impose their sexual lifestyles
on the majority. Well, excuse me, but the Boy Scouts don't want don't want
gays.”
As a response, the Legion passed Resolution No. 28 which in part reads:
WHEREAS, Those same traditional family values with regard to membership and leadership
standards have been under attack by homosexuals, agnostics, atheists and others for more
than 25 years, resulting in at least 38 legal cases being brought against the Boy Scouts
in which it was claimed that BSA practices illegal discrimination on religious and sexual
preference grounds; and
RESOLVED, By the National Executive Committee in regular meeting assembled in
Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 8-9, 2003, that The American Legion does gladly accept
the privilege and responsibility of defending traditional American values and freedoms by
reaffirming its support for the Boy Scouts of America, and by pledging to assist the Boy
Scouts of America in filing an amicus brief or briefs, as may be necessary, appropriate,
legal, and approved by the National Commander so that the concerted assault on traditional
American values and morality, beliefs and standards will ultimately fail… (Go to http://www.legion.org/?content=boyscouts)
Comment:
These pathetic moralists deliberately miss the point: The Boy Scouts and the American
Legion can be as discriminating as they wish - just not on the tax dollars of everyone
else. The Scouts and Legion should NOT be entitled to any benefit that an atheist
group or other group is not entitled to receive. Yet the Scouts have Public School
teachers hand out their literature for meetings on Public School grounds claiming it is
open to all. The President of the US is the honorary leader for goodness sakes!
Is he just the leader of the religious? Answer: He seems to think so.
Then there is the moral and ethical issue: The Scouts are bigoted regardless of their
legal rights. There is no defense for their animus against gays and non-believers.
Scouting, as is now practiced, is not an ethical choice for young boys.
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